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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

Willow oak

Quercus phellos

Narrow, willow-like leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Narrow, willow-like leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunMichael Wolf ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Fine-textured oak for lower-elevation WNC sites; allow substantial rooting volume.

Sun Exposure
Full sun
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
50–80
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
35–50
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Narrow willow-like leaves

Identification clue 2

Tiny bristle at the leaf tip

Identification clue 3

Small acorns

Read the leaves

Unlobed narrow blades have smooth edges. Find the tiny tip bristle and alternate arrangement rather than assuming willow.

More growing details

Read the bark

Young bark is smooth gray; older trunks become shallowly furrowed.

Fruit & seed

Small rounded acorns confirm an oak despite the willow-like foliage.

Winter character

Clustered buds at twig tips distinguish an oak from true willow.

Origin & place

Widespread farther east in North Carolina, but absent to very rare across most mountain and foothill areas; one southern mountain occurrence is documented.

Compare with Willows

Willows bear capsules in catkins, not acorns, and often have toothed leaf edges.

WNC Notes

Fine-textured oak for lower-elevation WNC sites; allow substantial rooting volume.

Sun Exposure

Full sun

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

50–80

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

35–50

BLOOM SEASON

Spring

BLOOM COLOR

Catkins

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Yellow-bronze

Wet-Soil Tolerance

Moderate

Drought Tolerance

Moderate

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

Narrow, willow-like leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Narrow, willow-like leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunMichael Wolf ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Gray, ridged bark. — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Gray, ridged bark. — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sunK. Andre ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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